Launched in February 2020, the Black British Face Painters Network (BBFPN) is preparing to host an inaugural London Face Painting Jam in Acton on Wednesday 31 May during the half-term holiday.
Michel McKenzie-Joseph, from Trinidad and Tobago, is one of the international artists who will be leading workshops and showcasing her skills at the event. Attendees will experience the magic and creativity of the face and body art world, with free face and body painting all day.
BBFPN founder Nyglorious (Nyomie McCook), who’s been a professional in the industry since 2013, explained to Soca News why she felt obliged to start the network.
“Black face painters’ art is often overlooked, and their expertise and opinions get suppressed in industry spaces. Numerous painters have had clients exclaiming surprise when a painter of colour arrives at an event, as they were not expecting a Black artist. These are common experiences shared in the UK and further afield. Once we started talking about it, we realised just how much these occurrences were debilitating and discouraging to new people.”
She continued: “As a positive black woman, I think it is important not to spend your time moaning when you know that you can affect change. I saw an opportunity to be able to do that and it made sense to use my pull in the industry to make things better for other Black artists and the children using our services.”
For Face Jam Tickets go to Eventbrite and to find out more visit the BBFPN website.
